How many EV chargers does a VvE garage actually need?

The moment a VvE starts seriously discussing EV chargers, the same question comes up within five minutes: how many do we actually need? "One per spot, just in case" sounds logical, until someone pulls up the meter cupboard specs.

The connection is the real limit, not the wish list

Most existing garages were built at a time when nobody thought about EV chargers. The building's main connection was sized for that era, and that capacity is finite. Ten chargers all pulling full power at the same time can easily ask for more than comes in, before a single non-charging car is even added to the mix.

A realistic plan starts at the meter cupboard, not the garage: what's available now, and what does it cost to expand that. Only with that answer in hand does "how many chargers" have any real context.

Count who already has an EV, not who might want one someday

A thirty-spot garage with three electric cars doesn't need thirty chargers. A practical rule of thumb: count current owners with an EV, add a reasonable margin for the next few years, and start there. In most existing garages, two to four charging points comfortably cover the first phase.

Load management stretches the existing connection

Before applying for a heavier grid connection (a process that can easily take a year), load management is worth looking into. Such a system intelligently spreads the available power across connected chargers, so not every car draws maximum power at the same time. In practice, this often lets you connect two to three times as many charging points to the same existing capacity.

A middle step few VvE's know about: one charger with two connectors serving two neighbouring spots. That's cheaper than two separate chargers, but needs a clear agreement about who charges when: exactly the kind of agreement that stops charger hogging from becoming a problem before it starts.

Build for growth, not for a finished picture

The lesson from garages that have already gone through this: a setup that can expand almost always beats a plan that tries to be "complete" in one go. Nobody in the meeting knows exactly how fast the number of electric cars in the building will grow, only that it will. Wiring and a connection that can grow with it are cheaper in the long run than a large investment that's already tight again after five years.

Want to get this on the agenda as a proposal? Here's how.